Lockdown
by Aphy S
Summary: Ianto under the influence of an alien hallucinogen is a funny sight


**Title/Series Info:** Lockdown  
**Pairing** Jack/Ianto  
**Rating**: PG at a guess, nothing explicit but hints of a relationship between the two.  
**Summary:** Ianto under the influence of an alien hallucinogen is a funny sight.  
**Disclaimer:** Torchwood and all it's characters are owned by the BBC, I'm making no money from this.

It was late evening and only Jack and Ianto were left in the hub when the rift flared slightly. Not powerfully enough or long enough to activate the computer alarms, just long enough for a small pellet to fall into the water at the bottom of the fountain and dissolve before anyone saw it.

The water appeared to boil for a minute as the pellet reacted with it, the result being a colourless, odourless gas. The gas mixed into the atmosphere of the Hub with neither of the occupants any the wiser, though this time the computer _did _notice, and automatically enacted a full contamination lockdown. The doors sealed themselves shut, as did the paving slab lift and the doors leading down to the cells. The fountain cut out and the seals around ground level where the water disappeared from outside view activated, leaving the Hub airtight with modified 'scrubbers' working to remove the potential toxin from the atmosphere.

In his office Jack heard the lockdown activate and quickly moved out into the central area to find out what was going on. A quick check of the computer analysis of the gas told him that neither he nor Ianto should come to any lasting harm through the hallucinogenic. Jack himself was immune to the compound but Ianto would feel its full effects very quickly. Sending messages to Gwen, Owen and Tosh, who would have been alerted to the lockdown, telling them not to come in for twenty-four hours was the work of seconds. Then Jack went to look for Ianto.

Knowing that Ianto was down in the archives, and knowing that he would have difficulty negotiating the stairs alone while under the influence, Jack headed downstairs. The first place he looked was what he generally referred to as the 'index room', which held information on what was stored down here and where it could be found. The catalogue was available on computer of course, but Ianto insisted on keeping a manual record in case of computer failure. Also in the room were the photocopier and a computer with a scanner.

Ianto was in here, and from Jack's position by the door it was obvious that the hallucinogen had already affected him. He was leaning against the wall, between the photocopier and the computer desk, and appeared to be having an argument with a filing cabinet, in Welsh. Before Jack could step forward and be noticed, Ianto turned suddenly and glared at the photocopier, letting another stream of indignant Welsh. From Ianto's now twisted position, trying to face both the copier and the cabinet, Jack could see that the taut material of his suit trousers was pulled far tighter than normal over what looked to be painful arousal.

Slowly walking into the room, trying to avoid startling the increasingly skittish younger man, Jack had just reached the desk when Ianto suddenly jumped backwards, crashing into him. As they both sprawled on the floor Jack noticed with amusement that Ianto still hadn't acknowledged him, and had now turned to stare at the computer in what could only be described as disbelief. His attention didn't remain there for long before flitting back to the copier and cabinet, however, and Jack quickly realised that he was deep in whatever hallucination the gas had conjured within his mind.

Jack's attempts to manoeuvre them both off the floor, and back upstairs to the central area of the Hub, finally caught Ianto's attention and he squirmed in Jacks arms to face the other man.

"Jack! Tell them to stop!" Jack was grateful that Ianto was speaking to him in English, but he still didn't have a clue what Ianto was on about.

"Tell what to stop Ianto?" He kept his voice light, knowing better than to agitate Ianto further whilst under the influence of the gas. People who had inhaled it tended to lash out quickly, and with enormous strength if provoked.

"The cabinet and the copier are fighting Jack. They're fighting over which one of them gets to go out with me and when they're not fighting they keep making suggestions about what they want to do to me." Jack had to fight back a snigger at the thought of Ianto's archive flirting with him but he could see Ianto was distressed by what only he could see and hear.

"What about the computer?" He was proud of how calmly the question came out.

Ianto shuddered. "It's evil, it started suggesting tying me up with its cables and showing me what it could do with its mouse! I want a cordless computer Jack!"

Jack had to bite the inside of his mouth, hard, before he could reply. "Sure, Yan, I'll get one sorted out for you in the morning when Tosh comes in. For now, lets get you away from this nasty lot and upstairs, eh?"

As expected, it wasn't easy for Jack to get Ianto upstairs, especially whilst he was clinging to Jack as if he wanted to get inside his clothes, but eventually they made it. Settling them both on the sofa Jack was please to see Ianto was relaxing slightly, but it didn't last long. They'd only been sitting there a few minutes when Ianto suddenly stiffened as he eyed Toshiko's workstation wildly, before whimpering and shrinking back into Jacks arms again.

Jack could feel is heart rate spike and decided he'd better get Ianto away from all the technology in the Hub, before his blood pressure went through the roof. This was affecting the Welshman worse than Jack had expected when he had first identified the drug. He knew from the earlier computer readings that the hallucinogen would be out of the Hub's atmosphere in about six hours, but it would take a lot longer to work it's way out of Ianto's system. Judging by Ianto's state after just a short time under the influence he was going to be one of those rare people who reacted badly to what they saw/heard, hardly surprising considering everything he'd been through, now Jack thought about it.

"Come on, Ianto. Lets get you away from all this nasty machinery, eh?" Jack had to decide quickly where best to take Ianto, who was becoming more distressed by the minute on the main Hub floor. The usual options, the sleeping quarters Ianto had set up months ago and the Care rooms were both out of consideration for various reasons. The sleeping quarters were only accessed from the main lift, behind the Lockdown sealed circular door and the Care rooms contained too much technology for Jack to want to put Ianto in there, despite the fact that he could monitor his vitals easier. That only really left Jack's own quarters under his office, the tiny space which Ianto had declared cramped and claustrophobic and unhealthy, and why he had set up the sleeping quarters so that they could spend the night together in the Hub. The benefit to Jack's quarters, however, was that there was absolutely nothing high tech down there, just the bed, two wardrobes and a bedside table.

With Ianto still clinging to him, Jack managed to get them both into his office relatively easily. Once inside with the door shut the Welshman relaxed slightly, apparently there wasn't so much in here 'talking' to him. Taking advantage of this slight relaxation, Jack left Ianto leaning against his desk whilst he went and opened the hatch down to his quarters. Walking back to the desk he was surprised to see Ianto was even more relaxed than he had been moments previously, and was now staring at the coral growing under its heat lamp in fascination. Joining Ianto, Jack was surprised to hear singing in his mind.

"Beautiful," Ianto breathed, "it's singing to me."

Captivated by the hauntingly familiar melody it took Jack several minutes to remember that the hallucinogen could also enhance psychic abilities in those that already had them. Jack's own abilities were kept well shielded at all times but obviously the drug had lowered them enough for _something_ to make contact.

It was only when Ianto, who Jack wasn't aware _had _any psychic abilities, reached out to gently touch the coral that Jack finally put the pieces of the puzzle together and realised where the song was coming from. The coral was alive, a junior TARDIS, and sentient.

Long ago the Doctor had shown him the living core of his TARDIS, separate from the 'heart' beneath the console and explained how they were grown from spores of coral. When the TARDIS had disappeared from the Gamestation, Jack had found a spore pod on the floor in a stasis bubble where she had stood. Once he'd been shot on Ellis Island and realised he was unable to die, Jack had broken the stasis and allowed the TARDIS spore to start growing. It would take millennia for it to mature to the point where it would be able to form a liveable space and be able to navigate the vortex, but by all appearances Jack could afford to wait.

Jack didn't know why the Doctor's TARDIS had gifted him with the spore, but it had to have been done deliberately. Whatever the reason, Jack had always been comforted by the presence of the living coral under it's heat lamp but he'd never before heard it sing to him.

Still, as relaxing as listening to the song was, Jack still wanted to get Ianto down into his quarters before anything managed to break through the fascination and he started to tense up again. The hatch was open now and Jack managed to steer Ianto to the ladder and down it without much hassle. Ianto tensed slightly when he realised where he was, he_really _didn't like being down here for long, but the lack of 'talking' technology meant that he didn't protest. Jack could still hear the coral singing in the office above him and guessed that this was helping Ianto dispel his fears.

It wasn't long until Jack had Ianto relaxing on the bed with him. The tension of the things he had hallucinated had finally got to the younger man and he was content to lie in Jack's arms, safe at last. As they lay together Jack listened to the now fading song of the TARDIS coral as his mental shields regained their strength. He would have to ask Ianto about his own abilities later, once all traces of the drug were out of his system. For now, sleep would be the best thing for both of them, the Hub could remain in lockdown until the rest of the team came in tomorrow.


End file.
